Emerald In The Rough
by SideshowJazz1
Summary: Disney's "Aladdin", Total Drama style. In the Canadian-Arabian kingdom of Wawanakwa, Sultan Cody is desperately trying to find a prince for his sister to marry. He is unaware of Royal Vizier Alejandro's plans to seize the power, with the help of his companion, a sorceress called Heather. All they need is a magic lamp, and the only person who can get it is a teenage thief...Gwuncan.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Disney, Disney, Disney. Thing is, I've already written Duncan into a Disney story. And Courtney. But I recently saw "Aladdin" again, and I just had to write Duncan into another story. So, in order to not favour one pairing, I'm going to have Duncan's other love interest as Princess Jasmine...Gwen!**

 **Plot: In modern times, Royal Vizier Alejandro is desperate to own a precious lamp with a Genie inside, from a mysterious cave. However, only one person can enter – a street kid called Duncan. Meanwhile, Sultan Cody has less than a month to live, and only a man can take power of the country, meaning his sister Gwen has to marry a prince. But she rejects every suitor who comes to the palace. After a chance encounter, the magic lamp falls into Duncan's hands, and desperate for wealth and interested in the girl he met in the marketplace, he wishes to become a prince. Little does he know, Alejandro and his...not quite girlfriend...have their own plans to take the throne...hope you like it!**

 **Oh yeah, and it's Gwuncan. Don't say I didn't warn you. I'm actually a Duncney and Gwent shipper, but in an AU where Courtney is the Captain of the Guards (yes, I'm going there), I could see Duncan getting with a girl he clicks with (although I think they're better as friends, they do have chemistry).**

 _Good evening, everyone. Please come closer...no, I didn't mean that close! Welcome to Wawanakwa, the Canadian-Arabian island. So...have you heard the magical story that happened right here? With this amazing lamp? Don't be fooled by its appearance – it's what was once inside that counts. It changed the life of a young man, who was far more than he seemed...of course, he wasn't the kindest person in the world. In fact, he could be downright mean sometimes, or uncouth, or complicated. And he often had an impulse to break rules – in fact, one law he broke just for survival – but deep down, there was a heart of gold. Would you like to hear the story? It began on a night as black as sin, with a couple whose hearts were the only thing blacker..._

Three shadowy figures stood in the desert. A muscular sillhouette stood there confidently, with a much slimmer frame beside him. One was male, and the other was female. In front of them was a small, squat figure.

"You're late." the girl's voice said disapprovingly.

"I am sorry." an almost nasal voice came from the short figure. "I was busy rewriting my plans for taking over the world."

"You have it?" the taller male had a smooth, deep voice.

"Of course I have it, you fool." snapped the squat figure, holding out a little object. He obviously had no intention of giving it to them, but the girl swiped it before he could blink. "Hey!"

"Honestly, Max, you're getting something out of this too." the girl said in a bored voice.

"Heather, be nice." her partner reprimanded her gently. He reached into his pocket and took out the reflection of the object, before putting them together. The two objects lit up, turning into a minature bat, although it glowed amber in the night, flying away.

"Follow!" cried the man.

"We know, Alejandro." Heather snapped. "You're not the only one here who understands what we're trying to do."

But Max simply smiled and said "Onward, minions!" Heather and Alejandro exchanged a glance at the way he addressed them, but ignored it otherwise.

The three chased the bat, until they reached a giant sand formation...a cave that was the shape of a bear's head.

"At last," Alejandro breathed, "After years of searching...the Cave of Wawanakwa Wonders."

Heather said nothing, trying not to look too impressed. Then she gave Max a little push. "Remember our deal? Get in there! You find the lamp and give it to us, then the rest of the treasure is yours. Yes?"

"All right, all right." Max muttered, stepping towards the cave, and climbing up to the cave mouth.

"Where did you find this guy again?" Heather muttered to Alejandro. "He's an idiot."

"That's why he's perfect." Alejandro answered. "We don't even need to lie about what we want. He'll believe it when we say he can have everything other than the lamp. He has no idea that it's forbidden, and doesn't even question why we want only one thing."

Their conversation was cut off. Max was on the first step of the cave. But before he could get to the second step down, the Cave spoke. "Who wishes to enter?"

Max shuddered at the voice and said "I, the great and powerful evil genius, Max."

The Cave almost seemed to laugh, but it said. "There is only one who may enter my chambers. One whose worth is hidden but great. Emerald-haired and sapphire-eyed, and a heart of gold."

Max turned back but Heather yelled out "Coward! Get in there! It's just a cave, what's it gonna do if you trespass?"

As a matter of fact, it self-destructed, taking Max with it. But at any time, the bat halves could revive it. But only one could enter. As Alejandro picked up the two halves, Heather raged. "I honestly can't believe it! We go through all these years looking for that cave, and when we find some sucker to go in, he's not good enough for it! I don't think we'll ever get that lamp! We might as well just give up!"

"Patience, Heather." Alejandro replied in a calm voice. "We will get the lamp. You forget that I have my ways of finding people. The Sands of Time will help. And why, all I must do for it to work is...borrow Sultan Cody's ring. Obviously Max wasn't worth much, but it won't be that hard to find the man. And once we do, it won't be hard to trick him into getting us the lamp."

Heather folded her arms. "And once we find him, how are we going to do that, Mr Genius? And as a matter of fact, Gwen is going to figure out how we get Cody to obey us any day now."

"Not if we make sure he'll wake up before they talk again." Alejandro smirked. "Don't be so cynical, Heather. We can do this...my queen. With my...charisma, and your sorcery, we'll be Sultan and Queen. Really."

Heather fell silent. No doubt, she would do anything to be queen, and the promise hung there. It was the only thing that would remind her how far she would go to gain that, and Alejandro knew it. She glared at him, but didn't argue.

As they left the desert, driving back into the centre of Wawanakwa and to the palace, both wondered who this emerald-haired, sapphire-eyed, golden-hearted person was. Male? Female? Rich or poor?

 **Oh, they'll find out soon enough. Hope you liked this chapter.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Better start running. We don't want the guards to get us. Oh, and I've decided to have no Abu. I know he's a good character, but I honestly couldn't think of a good sidekick character for Duncan. He's better off alone, and I've seen the show work without one – it was hard enough to think of a good first-generation Genie (I'm still not that happy with my choice, but I had to pick an upbeat Killer Bass guy for that role).**

 **Thank you for the review, SilverWriter0927, Gage the Hedgehog (Thank you, but Shrek isn't Disney, and what pairing would I use), Bloodylilcorpse, Starburst278, xandra19 (I think Max is hilarious, but he's dead in this story now, so...), VIPGuest and the guest reviewer.**

"Stop right there! I know what you've stolen, street boy!"

Duncan instinctively looked over his shoulder as the guards advanced. He then glanced down at the stolen loaf of bread in his hands. Sure, he hadn't paid for it. But how was he supposed to pay if he didn't have any money? He stole to survive.

The Captain of the Guards nearly reached him. "Duncan," she said in an innocently disappointed voice, "Is this the way you want to live? A thief, chased all the time? Why not just take the punishment for once?"

Captain Courtney was certainly beautiful. Duncan would admit, he'd had a major crush on her, but he knew from experience not to be taken in by her. He also knew not to be fooled by her innocent act. She had wicked combat skills and he had discovered that if it came to a showdown, it was better to just run. But there was nowhere to run. So he jumped.

The building was several stories high, but he knew the safe way to get around there. After all, this wasn't the first time he'd had to jump off a building to get away from the guards. He went down the nearest clothesline, hand over hand, then made a daring drop to the one another story down, and again. Finally, he landed in a laundry basket.

Courtney couldn't see him from where she was still at the top, but her scream of fury rang out across the marketplace. "You won't get away that easily!" she screeched. Within two minutes, Duncan was still there, and Courntey was ordering around the other guards. "Lightning, go left, Jo, you go right. I'm going ahead."

Duncan, who'd covered his recognizable skull shirt with a jumper from the laundry basket (with the loaf hidden under the jumper) and tied a bandanna over his head to hide his mohawk, tried to look inconspicuous as he walked along, and ran straight into a girl in the market who he knew. "Oh, hey." he greeted her.

The blonde surfer he ran into saw the guards and rolled her eyes. "Already in trouble with the law today, Duncan?"  
"Trouble?" Duncan laughed. "I only call it trouble when I get caught-"

"You're under arrest!" His arms were wrenched behind his back as Courtney finally found him.

"Okay, _now_ it's trouble."

"And this time, it'll be the prison underneath the palace," Courtney said triumphantly, "And after what you did to me last year, I'm going to push for no trial-"

But she didn't hang onto him for very long. Her overconfidence got the better of her, and Duncan managed to sharply pull and get out of her strong grip.

This was a daily occurrence. It wasn't that Duncan wanted to be a criminal – okay, maybe he found some crimes fun, but stealing? If he had the choice, he wouldn't bother doing something like that. If it was down to him, he'd just cause trouble with much lower-level crimes, like graffiti, vandalism, and a few other things. But the only reason he stole things was in order to survive. And that's how he justified it to himself. " _Starve or steal – that's it. Get food illegally – or die young."_ And so he just developed better ways of getting food before being caught. Sometimes it worked, but other times, he had to run from the guards stationed around the market. But every time, he always stayed one step ahead of the guards.

As for Courtney...well, she'd always been trouble. Thing was, when she was younger and before getting the rank of Captain, she'd caught Duncan, but let him go once or twice. They'd had a short affair the year before, and she'd tried to find him a way to get off the streets and start living like a normal law-abiding person. But she'd gotten too deep into the relationship. Duncan had only viewed it as a fun friendship with benefits, and broke it off when he realized how seriously Courtney was taking it. Unfortunately, being let down was something Courtney never took well. Now, her biggest dream was to catch up to Duncan one more time, and this time, make sure he'd be behind bars for the rest of his life...or at least until he was well past middle-age. But so far, she'd never gotten close enough. He'd had more experience by now, and was determined not to get caught again.

When Duncan finally reached an alleyway, having lost the guards, he pulled the loaf out, and stared at his prize. He was starving, and this would be the only food he would get that day, so he was determined to savour every mouthful...

Well, that went straight out the window when he glanced up and saw a pair of sickly-looking beggar children – twins, by the looks of them. They were looking through the trash for anything they could find.

Duncan was torn. He was barely surviving on the street, but he wasn't dying. Those two wouldn't survive another week unless they got some help. However, he didn't want to give up his food, and nor did he want them to think he'd help again if he did now. He looked down on his loaf again.

One more moment, and he tore off pieces, shoving them into his mouth. Within two minutes, he'd already downed half of it – he was that hungry. Then he walked out of the alleyway, tossing the other half over his shoulder, where the beggar twins eagerly saw it and broke it in half.

Yeah, maybe Duncan wasn't a model citizen, but he knew how to survive. The only sympathy he showed had to look accidental. The twins wouldn't know that he'd left the loaf on purpose, scoffing half of it down and then throwing the other half away as if he didn't want it. Of course he wanted it! But as usual, his softer side got the better of him.

Well, not as usual. It depended on the person. But weaklings in a worse position than him touched his heart. Them or hot girls who were actually nice. But it wasn't easy to come across those people. However, when he did, his nice nature often got the better of him, and he briefly stopped being the rough tough street kid with an attitude problem.

That's what happened when a prince rode into town, heading for the palace.

Duncan could hear a few people talking. "Looks like another suitor for the princess."

"How many princes has she turned down so far?"

"What's his name, that one, anyway?"

"It's Prince Justin! Omigosh, he is SO hot!"

The prince, looking out of his limosine window, beamed dazzling pearly-whites at his audience, his blue eyes shining.

However, just looking at that made Duncan feel depressed. That was his dream – be a prince, live in a palace. It was never going to happen. How could it? And for a moment, he wondered what the princess' problem was. He knew that she'd had a lot of suitors. She didn't know how lucky she was. He'd give anything to live her lifestyle and have hundreds of girls wanting to be with him.

 **I wonder how many fangirls Duncan actually has? I think he lost a lot of fans after TDA and TDWT, but were they male or female? Hope you liked this chapter! We'll meet Sultan Cody and Princess Gwen next time!**


	3. Chapter 3

**All right, let's go to the palace! Thanks for reviewing, StarHeart Specials (I've seen it – it was the musical, though, which I haven't seen), Bloodylilcorpse, Gage the Hedgehog (you make a fair point...I'll think about writing it), SilverWriter0927 (*right answer buzzer*), xandra19 (your bet is right, cash in any time), Bubhh (I may do that, but I've got so many ideas right now) and the guest reviewers (true, but I blame Chris for not letting the winners of the challenge be the ones who actually did it right...also, while Duncan was at his worst that season, I don't think it's fair to blame him for Noah's demise, because it was really more Alejandro). Oh, and I forgot...**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own any TD characters, or the movie "Aladdin". I do, however, own this piece of writing.**

Prince Justin left the palace earlier than he'd planned. He was insulted by Princess Gwen's cool politeness, for one thing. After a few minutes, his unbelievable looks had stopped affecting her. And then there was one more thing that happened that was the last straw.

"I cannot believe she's allowed those reptiles!" Justin muttered under his breath. "I certainly would have had them put out of their misery by now." He took his leave with Sultan Cody, and then left the palace, very early that morning.

Cody was at a loss. He knew Gwen didn't want to get married, but it was important. He may be the Sultan, but he was ill – he only had a month to live – two months at the most. He'd grown up with the knowledge that he was going to die young, ill from birth. He would never had taken the throne if not for his parents passing away a few years back. And only a man was allowed to rule the kingdom. Gwen was his only direct relative – his sister. She would be queen, of course, but she had to get married, and she needed to do it before he died, so she and her new husband could take over for him.

However, he approached his sister's bedroom. "Gwen?" he knocked. "Can I come in?"

"Is Prince Justin with you?" the girl inside answered.

"Um, no, he just left." Cody answered.

"Okay."

Cody pushed open the door, to find Gwen feeding her pet lizards, Angus and Vampyra. "What went wrong this time?" he asked, a note of annoyance creeping into his voice.

Gwen rolled her eyes. "Vampyra just bit the tip of his finger. I offered to help clean and bandage it, even though it was no big deal. But honestly, he acted as if she'd ripped his arm off and then he stormed out. So, he's left?" She smiled. "I doubt he'd be interested in anyone else long enough to be a good Sultan, anyway."

Cody sighed at her tone. "Gwen, you need to stop rejecting every suitor. You know the law, and you know that it needs to be soon."

"Why can't you change the law?" Gwen pleaded. "You're the Sultan! You should be able to pass a law so women can rule."

Cody heaved another sigh. "Gwen, that's not the only reason. I want to pass that law. But we're the last two in our line. We need a descendant, and with this illness...well, I can't become a father." This was true. Cody had never married, partly because he was born with a defect that left him sterile, and partly because he was so young.

Gwen sighed, too. "I know, I know. But why does it have to be a prince? If I could just go outside the palace walls, maybe in disguise or something, so I could meet someone who might actually like me for me. Then I could marry him – he wouldn't even know until I told him that he would be marrying into royalty."

"I know, Gwen." Cody said sympathetically. "I'm sorry this is the way it has to be, but you're not the first. This is just the responsibilities and rules of being a princess."

"Well, I never asked to become a princess." his sister muttered, suddenly moody.

Cody was starting to lose patience with her, which was rare. He tried to keep his voice level as he said "You liked Prince Trent, didn't you? Why did you reject him?"

"He was nice." Gwen admitted. "The best so far. But he was a bit...possessive. I got the feeling that he'd never let go of me if we got married. I mean, I think he was trying to give me space, but he couldn't stand half an hour away from me. We were connecting until I realized that."

Cody knew that Trent had acted a bit too possessive, as if Gwen wanting to be away from him for an hour was a sign that she was going to reject him. But he'd liked the guy too, and as much as he hated to admit it, there weren't any other princes who he'd really wanted to accept as his brother-in-law – he would have allowed them, but only because he was desperate.

Eventually, he decided to leave his sister to her own devices and logged onto his online battle game. Sure, he may be the ruler of a land, but he was still a teenager, and online, no one had to know he was a Sultan, or dying.

But after only five minutes, there was a knock on his door. "Damnit!" Cody cursed as one of his virtual castles was destroyed. "Come in!"

As the tall figure entered, Cody smiled. The royal vizier may have made him feel smaller and more sickly than ever, but he could be trusted with anything. "Alejandro! I wanted to speak to you, actually. About Gwen."

"What is the problem, sire?" Alejandro said in his most respectful tone.

"It's this suitor thing." Cody explained. "I don't want to force Gwen to choose someone she doesn't entirely feel comfortable with, but she's turned down so many already. It has to be a prince, and none of them are suitable for her. There needs to be something I can do, but I can't think of anything."

That was a really tough one for Alejandro. Gwen herself was tough to understand. Thing was, Alejandro had the skill of being able to wrap everyone around his little finger, especially women (Heather was an exception). But not Gwen. She was always perfectly polite to him, and occasionally seemed like she was drawn in, but it wasn't like that. He could never get her to do anything just by talking to her. Sure, he was a skilled hypnotist, but Gwen seemed to sense when he wanted to control her and made excuses to stay away from him whenever he sought her out. Heather had already told him that she suspected Gwen would give him the sack when she took the throne – and she would be turned out too, since the only reason she was allowed was by extension. And sure, Heather herself could have tried to help influence Gwen with her knowledge of sorcery, but after all their conflicts, she couldn't even get close enough to Gwen to get what she needed for that.

But Alejandro didn't say a word about this to Cody. "That is very problematic, I agree. I don't have a complete answer for that yet, but I will. I just need one thing." He put his hypnotic eyes to work as he asked for the gold band Cody wore on his ring finger. It was an royal family heirloom, but it was important. The Sands of Time wouldn't work without it.

Cody had no idea that he was being controlled himself as he handed the ring over. Alejandro gave him careful instructions about when he would come back to complete consciousness and what he would think happened to the ring, and then left.

When Cody came to, he blinked. What had just happened? He turned back to his computer, and then scowled. How had everything he'd built become demolished so fast? He typed to one of his opponents: _How did you do that so quickly?_

 _You've been gone twenty minutes, bro. h_ is friend HighIQsNeverLove typed back.

Twenty minutes? What?

 **You can guess which TD character that was, since I used his label. And for the record, yes, I know he has a girlfriend now, but this is kind of a reference to how he acted asexual before RR came up.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Okay, all the introductions of the important characters are done. Now it's time to get proper stuff done.**

 **Thanks for reviewing, SilverWriter0927, Gage the Hedgehog, Bloodylilcorpse, GwendolynD (I've done Little Mermaid), xandra19 and the guest reviewer. HighIQsNeverLove, by the way, was caught by the guest reviewer and xandra19. "High IQ" was the original label for Noah.**

In the early hours of the next morning, Gwen's alarm clock went off while everyone else in the palace slept. She turned it off within seconds and blinked her dark eyes, suddenly wide awake. For the first time, she didn't put any of her usual makeup on, her alabaster complexion the only familiar part of her face. As she got dressed in her plainest outfit, with a cloth protecting her head (but leaving her jeweled headband on and hidden – she might need it for money), Angus opened one eye lazily, looking at her reproachfully.

"Sorry." Gwen whispered. "But I can't stay here. Maybe if I'm out of here for a while, I might be able to do what I suggested – find a genuine regular guy. And if I do that, maybe I can get back and talk to Cody about changing that part of the law. I will come back, I swear – I just need a few weeks."

She left a note she'd already written for Cody, slipping it under his bedroom door. Then she slipped out the door, to a world she knew nothing about, just as the sun began rising. And as she reached the market, the stalls were ready to receive customers. She didn't notice the young man around her age crouched on top of the stall full of fresh produce, keeping an eye out for the guards before pulling out one of the peaches he'd taken from the crates while the person manning the stall was trying to attract customers.

Duncan had taken several articles of fruit when he could. If he got it back to his home, that would mean he wouldn't have to hang around the marketplace for a few days, and he knew for a fact that Courtney and the other guards didn't know where he lived. Yeah, it was risky scoffing a peach on top of a stall selling them, but he was starved, and the man at the stall seemed oblivious.

And that was when he saw her.

The girl he saw was dressed modestly, in a black dress with a hood up, but her big dark eyes in her chalk-white face intrigued him. Duncan was not the type to stare at a girl because she had a pretty face. Usually, he'd blatantly check out the body of any girl who was remotely pretty. But this time? The girl looked so different to how anyone else he'd seen had looked. And he sensed something a bit...different. Something good.

The girl noticed a beggar kid looking wistfully at the candy a few stalls down, and, evidently thinking it was free, handed him one.

"That'll be five dollars." said the woman at the stall.

"Dollars?" The girl froze. She looked completely shocked. "Can I, um, pay you later? I need to sell-"

"If you don't have the money," the woman said, "Why did you take my candy?"

"I...I..." the girl was at a loss. "I didn't know it cost money!"

The woman sneered. "Don't play insanity, girl. It doesn't get anywhere with me. Now let me put it this way. Do you have the money, or do I need to call the royal guards on you?"

Duncan acted fast. In a flash, he'd stolen a handful of the same candy the girl had taken and stepped in front of the woman, pretending that he had gotten back the candy and was putting it back. "Got it back! No harm done." he said, putting on a voice that was full of charm. "I'm sorry, but my friend here...she's not from here – things are easier in her town." And the woman, since she hadn't seen him taking it, fell for it.

Well, they got away with it, but the girl still seemed confused. "What just happened there?" she asked.

Duncan was genuinely surprised. "What did you expect to happen? Playing Miss Charity to some kid and not having the money to pay it off?"

The girl gave a sigh. "Thanks for helping me." she muttered. "But I guess...you were kind of right – this was my first time in a marketplace like that."

However, the palace guards were already lurking around the place, and Duncan spotted them. "Hate to cut this short, but I've gotta run."

But the girl followed. Her eyes flickered towards the guards too, and then asked "Mind if I tag along?"

"Only if you can keep up." Duncan returned playfully, and began running. The girl ran too, failing to keep up but sprinting near the end, so there was no wait for her to catch up to the place Duncan called home – a sheltered stony balcony with a ragged curtain and not much else.

"You live here?" the girl said, looking confused.

Duncan shrugged. "That's life. No parents, no money, no job, no home. Best I have is a view of the palace. Except it gets depressing after a while. You know, being on the outside."  
"It's not much better on the inside." the girl muttered, not really speaking to him. "People telling you what to do twenty-four seven."

Duncan changed the subject. "So, you got a name? History? Reason why you have no knowledge of money and goods?"

"I'm Gwen." the girl said, her voice strangely disjointed, as if that wasn't the usual way she introduced herself. "It doesn't really matter where I'm from. I'm going back, but not for some time. Thing is, I have to get married in the next month. And my only choices are these awful suitors. I just want to be able to choose someone for myself. You know, a normal guy who doesn't just want me for a status symbol." She was careful as she spoke, not wanting to give anything away to this guy she'd only just met.

"Better than dating a girl who wants to turn you into Mr Right. At least they sound like they wouldn't care what you were like." Duncan muttered.

All the same, the two clicked. They barely knew each other, but as they began to talk, they began to realize how in sync they were. Gwen had never known anyone who understood her, like when she talked about her detestation for the responsibilities she had (not specifying them), Duncan wholeheartedly sympathized, something unusual. He didn't show it properly, but muttered agreement. As for him, he recognized a kindred spirit in Gwen, and started to open up a little, although he never got around to telling her his name. They began talking about random things, laughing at some of the same things together and teasing each other.

It was only half an hour later when they heard whispers.

"Up here? Are you sure?"

"Are you questioning me, or the Vizier? I told you, he said he was up here!"

Duncan recognized the second voice, and whispered to Gwen "I think we've got company. I'm outta here."

Gwen had heard the whispers too. "The palace guards! Where? And wait...why would they be after you?"

But neither of them had any chance. The guards had the place surrounded. Before long, Courtney had Duncan once again, and this time, there was no way she'd let go, flanked by two dark-skinned men who were all muscle. True, they wouldn't hurt anything, but if a criminal tried to run, they'd restrain him.

"Let go of him! He hasn't done anything!" Gwen cried.

Courtney didn't recognize her face, and sneered at Duncan "So, got another girlfriend, huh?" She looked at Gwen. "Hope you know he's not gonna stay with you."

Gwen had had enough. She pulled off her hood, revealing her headband and face. "I told you, let go of him! By order of the princess!"

The guards gasped and Courtney spoke up. "Princess Gwen? What are you doing out here? The Sultan must be frantic!"

Gwen folded her arms. "He knows where I am. Anyway, do as I say. Now, please."

Courtney had to feign regret as she disobeyed. She was delighted to have Duncan in her grasp, but she couldn't show it. "I would, Princess, but I'm sorry. My orders come from Alejandro. You'll have to talk to him."

Gwen gave a sigh. She'd have to go back to the palace straight off in that case. And she didn't want to have to talk to Alejandro – she didn't hate him, but something about him made her always feel uneasy. And if Heather was there, she would have to wait, too. She and Heather couldn't stand each other.

But she felt a connection with this boy she'd just met. And what had he done, anyway?

 **All will be explained next chapter.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Okay, I promised. Thanks for reviewing, Silver Writer 0932, Gage the Hedgehog, Bloodylilcorpse, Starburst278, xandra19 and the guest reviewers. To answer questions: I had no plans to pair Courtney with anyone in this story. I thought of Scottney as super-awkward and it seemed like Courtney was mostly using him. And for the Jock shipping reviewer, yes, that's a good idea, but I don't really ship that. It's a good pairing, but I'm generally a stickler for canon official relationships (there's few times I strayed). The rest should be answered in this chapter.**

Alejandro was in a good mood when Gwen stormed in to speak to him. Earlier that night, he'd made use of Cody's ring and the Sands of Time. Heather had used her sorcery to find the sapphire-eyed, emerald-haired, and gold-hearted person who could enter the Cave of Wawanakwa Wonders. The minute they'd discovered it, Alejandro sent the guards after the boy.

Heather had scoffed at the person, of course. "Wow. So we're stuck making a punk do the work for us? Well, at least no one will miss him." But she didn't argue. She wanted to be queen as much as Alejandro wanted to be Sultan.

But when Alejandro heard Gwen calling his name, Heather ducked into the hallway on one side of the room, able to eavesdrop. She knew that Gwen would wait until she'd left if she was in full view.

"Princess?" Alejandro said smoothly. "How can I help you?"

"The guards just arrested a boy on your orders." Gwen said. "But I'd spoken to him, and I don't understand what he'd done. Why did you send the guards after them?"

Alejandro had never expected this, knowing that Gwen wasn't supposed to leave the palace walls, so he had to think fast.

"I believe he was a repeat offender – petty thievery, if I remember correctly." he said, unaware that he was actually right.

Gwen, though, shook her head. "I don't think so! I ran into some trouble at the market, and he got back some candy that I'd accidentally taken without paying." She'd seen what he'd actually done, just moved the candy, but it didn't matter. He'd still helped her. And if he was a thief, she didn't care. It was obvious he didn't have any other way to survive.

"Oh!" Alejandro said, feigning guilt. "That does sound as if we had the wrong person. If only I had known...but his sentence is irreversible." Of course, he didn't mean any of it. But by the time his plan had been carried out, there wouldn't be enough of a difference.

"What do you mean by that?" Gwen asked. She knew the answer. Of course she knew. In their country, repeat offenders only had one thing in store. Her eyes begged to be told differently, but her prayers went unanswered.

"The guillotine." Alejandro replied, his face serious, but sympathetic. He didn't really care at all, but he knew he had to keep pretending. "I'm sorry, Princess. I would do anything if I could bring back this poor innocent. I hope you can forgive me."

Gwen turned away, walking slowly. She didn't cry, not even when she reached her room. But she was far more upset than she showed.

Meanwhile, Heather came back into her room. "I saw her face." she smirked. "Priceless!"

"Heather, be nice." Alejandro said, but his eyes glimmered with malice too, and Heather knew it. They both snickered, knowing that their plans were, so far, going perfectly.

While Gwen mourned the death of the boy from the marketplace and the Royal Vizier and his girlfriend were getting more and more excited about their plans, Duncan lay in his cell, in the prison underneath the palace. Courtney had promised life inprisonment here, and she was serious when she said how dismal it was. The words she'd said as she and her guards dragged him down there still echoed in his head:

" _I should have known there was no point in being nice to someone like you. You'll never be worth anything, you lowlife rebel. Do you honestly think your hair and piercings make you look cool? Really, all they do is create an illusion that you actually have a personality, albeit a generic delinquent one. At least you're going where every generic delinquent should go!"_

The only thing that took Duncan's mind off those harsh words was the thought of Princess Gwen. But his thoughts of her were confusing at best, and depressing at worst. Had he known that he'd been hanging around with a princess, he probably wouldn't have let her tag along. She was too well-connected, and sooner or later, she would have discovered how many crimes he had to commit. Maybe now she thought he hadn't done anything, but once she discovered it, she wouldn't have protected him from the guards as she'd tried to.

"Stupid moron." the street boy muttered to himself. "Why did I have to get mixed up with her? I'm a total idiot."

"Only if you give up." A voice echoed these words, and Duncan sat up.

"What the-"

A strange-looking elderly man hobbled into view. Unknown to Duncan, it was the Royal Vizier in sorcery-clad disguise. Heather was going to follow at a distance, so that Duncan wouldn't see her until the final phase of the plan was in place.

"I can help you." the disguised Alejandro told Duncan. He may have looked different, but he was as charasmatic as ever. "I know a place...a place with great jewels and money...enough to impress this girl you speak of."

Duncan's eyes lit up. "You had me at money. So? What do I need to do?"

"Well..." the man said, "There is another thing in that cave I speak of. Just a brass lamp. I will reward you myself, and you will additionally have all the treasure in there. All you need to do is go in for me and collect the lamp. I would go, but being old...you're young, it will be easier for you."

Instantly, Duncan's imagination worked overtime. He'd always wanted to be rich. Maybe, with the treasure, he could pass himself off as a prince. He couldn't deny, being rich as the Sultan and getting the girl at the same time was a pretty tempting picture.

"One little problem." he said out loud. "Unless the cave's around here, it's not happening."

"Unless you know the secret passage." the 'old man' said slyly, and moved a few bricks aside. Yes, there was a secret passage...there were many, in fact. There were probably more left undiscovered, but in seconds, Duncan was free and in the desert, about to face a terrifying cave, with a man of high power in disguise by his side, and a dark-haired sorceress at a short distance behind. Could this deception get any more complicated?

 **So what do you think so far? Duncan has no idea what's in store for him. Oh, and there is a reason we don't need a stray monkey to touch the forbidden treasure. No one's forgotten Duncan's talent and enthusiasm for breaking the rules, right?**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey, we're back! And a little movie thing to think about...is the Magic Carpet allowed to be touched because it's sentient?**

 **Thanks for reviewing, xandra19, Gage the Hedgehog, Bloodylilcorpse, Silver Writer 0927, and the guest reviewer (not quite this chapter, but he will be in the one after this, and close guess, but no, I chose a different character).**

Duncan stared up at the cave mouth as it spoke. "Who wishes to enter?"

The young man wouldn't let something like this faze him. So he took a breath and said "I, Duncan."

The cave paused, before saying "You're allowed in. You may only take the lamp."

"Don't worry!" the mysterious man called. "I will still reward you greatly!"

So Duncan ventured inside the cave, disheartened that he couldn't take anything from there for his own, but knowing that he would at least earn something from this little collect-and-deliver job. And he got a free pass out of jail, of course.

So Duncan began walking into the cavern, a bit apprehensive. His nerves soon went away when he saw the mounds of jewelery and coins scattered around. Everything about the cave's contents screamed _Wealth! Take me!_

Duncan considered just taking a handful of the treasures and leaving the mysterious man himself. But the cave's warning to take only the lamp lingered in his mind. What would happen if he took some of the other treasure? Maybe he could just get the lamp, then grab a handful on the way out and get out of the cave before it realized he'd taken something else.

But for now, he didn't touch a thing. He stared at all the gold enviously, but didn't pick any of it up.

Suddenly, he felt a tap on his shoulder and turned to see...

Nothing. Nothing was there. Duncan kept walking, only to feel a breeze, and he suddenly noticed something purple.  
A carpet, and he knew it hadn't been there before. Weird. A few more steps, and when he turned, the carpet was right behind him again.

He turned around properly. "Very funny." he said flatly. "I know this carpet thing is following me."

The carpet raised up off the ground a tiny bit, as if it was a person rasing its head. If not for its appearance, Duncan could have sworn it was acting as if it wanted to speak to him, but was scared.

Finally, he spoke. "Magic carpet, huh? Okay...well, nice to meet you and all, but I'm kind of busy. I'm supposed to find this lamp."

The carpet, though, didn't let go of him. It waved its tassels and zoomed off, gesturing with a tassel for Duncan to follow it. So he did.

It led him into a much darker part of the cave, but sure enough, a dusty old lamp stood on a little podium.

"Thanks, bro." Duncan said, grabbing the lamp and even sort of...high-fiving the carpet, tassel to palm. "Now I better run."

But the carpet followed him out through the room full of treasure. Duncan remembered his resolve, though. And just before leaving the cave, he reached out and pocketed a handful of treasure. But as he turned to hightail it out of the cave-

"RULE BREAKER!"

The cave's voice boomed out around him. " _YOU HAVE TRIED TO STEAL FROM ME! YOU HAVE BROKEN THE RULE I GAVE YOU! NOW YOU WILL NEVER LEAVE THIS CAVE ALIVE!"_

Duncan replaced the handful of treasure he'd taken, but it didn't matter. The coins and jewelery began to melt into lava, swirling around him, about to engulf him...

He was very lucky that the carpet was so friendly and outgoing. It immediately went to rescue him, seeming to understand the temptation he'd been under, and wanting to save him from the death the cave had planned. For a moment, as the carpet flew him above the waves of lava, Duncan momentarily thought how it was just like a video game. If it hadn't been a life-and-death situation, he would have thought it was a cool situation. But he felt too much terror to think that way. He was serious, focused on living, watching the lava and where the carpet was going.

Finally, Duncan spotted a tiny space far above him, displaying the night sky. It was the opening.

"Up there!" he pointed, and clung to the carpet as it zoomed upward. But as a chunk of rock fell, the carpet was pinned down to a ledge. Duncan was left hanging onto a ledge.

Alejandro was above him, still appearing as an old man.

"Help me up!" Duncan cried.

"Have you got the lamp?" Alejandro asked him.

"Yeah, but if you let me fall here, you won't get it!"

"If you give me the lamp, I'll help you!"

Duncan hesitated, but then pulled the lamp out of his pocket and handed it over. As he did, Heather emerged from behind him. She was disguised too, with red hair in different shades and looking much plumper than her real form did. However, her true nature couldn't have been clearer.

"Thanks for helping us out, loser." she smirked, pulling out their weapon – a small handgun. "We _were_ going to pay you for your help in rubies, but then we thought it would be a better reward to end your sad pathetic life altogether."

Duncan realized how he'd been set up. He was going to die. There was definitely something weird going on from the start, he knew that. But he'd been so desperate to get out and get rich with it that he hadn't listened to his instincts that were telling him there was something wrong with the situation.

But now, staring down the barrel of the gun, he reacted reflexively. The woman holding it didn't look that strong. He reached up and wrenched her fingers backwards, making her scream and effectively making her unable to pull the trigger for a moment.

Alejandro would have taken over, but Duncan reached up to him too. However, Alejandro saw it, and just as Duncan went to break the wrist next to the hand holding the lamp, he let the ornament fall to the ground as he turned the tables. One little push, and Duncan was falling back into the depths of the cave. The lava was dispersing, but if the carpet was out of action, the fall would kill him. And the cave sank down, leaving only the bat keys.

Heather worked her sorcery, and she and Alejandro returned to their true forms. "So," she grinned genuinely for once. "We got the lamp?"

Alejandro crouched down to pick it up, and then... "No. It dropped into the cave mouth when he tried to break my wrist!"

"Oh, great!" Heather scowled at him. "So we went through all that for nothing? I knew we'd never pull this off!"

Alejandro gave her one of his most irresistible smiles. "Never say never. Don't forget, we still have a lot of power over Cody. We'll find another way to gain the power we deserve. And...if we don't, I suppose we did do someone a favour."

They'd both noticed the triumphant look on Courtney's face when they'd described Duncan to her. They knew that Duncan was trapped, if not dead in the Cave of Wawanakwa Wonders.

But still, both sorceress and vizier were depressed as they returned to the palace.

 **This chapter was hard to write. I'm glad that I can start writing the Genie. After all, his initial TDI label was "The Funniest Guy Around". Good sign, right, even if his label isn't quite the same now.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Right. Let's keep going! Thanks for reviewing, Silver Writer 0927, Bloodylilcorpse (not quite, but Owen is very upbeat), Gage the Hedgehog, Em, xandra19, and the guest reviewer (yes it is).**

While Alejandro and Heather had been standing at a cave mouth, waiting for their dreams to come true, Cody had found Gwen up in her room, staring into space. "Gwen?" He came in, recognizing the sign that his sister was truly upset. "What's wrong? Are you all right?" He'd panicked when she'd left, but he couldn't lecture her about it now, not when she was clearly so unhappy.

She turned to look at him. "There was a boy I met...in the marketplace. I know he was all right, he helped me, even, but then the guards took him. And Alejandro said that they'd already executed him! I know I shouldn't...but I can't help it! He didn't do anything wrong, I tried to save him, but..."

Cody frowned in thought. "This boy...did he get a trial?"

Gwen shook her head. "I spoke to Alejandro less than an hour after his capture. There wouldn't have been time."

This was not the first time someone had been executed without a trial, but it was against Cody's wishes, and before he was Sultan. When he first came into power, he had insisted that everyone received a trial. But he'd only been Sultan for a while, and this was the first case of execution.

He patted his sister's shoulder. "I'll speak to him about this. I'm sorry, Gwen." But he left her alone, knowing that would be what she wanted. She'd come back out in her own time.

The next day, he spoke to Alejandro about it, with Heather there too. "If it hadn't been for your loyal services since I took over..." he trailed off. "Anyway, I'm implementing a new law. All prisoners need to be checked in with whoever is in power, before their sentence is delivered."

"As you wish, sire." Alejandro said respectfully.

Heather echoed it, adding "And our apologies to you too, Princess." However, she couldn't keep the ends of her lips from curving up in a smirk, just the tiniest bit.

Gwen didn't reply, staring at both of them with resentment in her dark eyes. She gave a nod of acceptance, but both knew she hadn't really forgiven them.

As the Princess and Sultan left the room, Heather let out a scoff. "To think! Last night we could have gotten the lamp, but instead, we're still stuck sucking up to that geek and his loser sister because of your clumsiness, and then it'll be her loser husband too-"

"Unless she has us executed." Alejandro cut off the sorceress. "Or banished. I know that's what she wants to do when she gets said loser husband."

There was a pause, and suddenly, Heather's eyes lit up. "I know! I know! What about if you hypnotized Cody to order Gwen to marry you?"

"What?"

"If you marry Gwen, you become the Sultan!" Heather said excitedly. "Make Cody order her to do it, and she'll have to!"

Alejandro began to smirk. "Now that's a good idea. Go on...what next?"

"Well, once Cody's gone, Gwen is tragically killed somehow." Heather was grinning maliciously now. "Maybe the guards accidentally knocked her off a cliff, or she drowned in the nearby river, or she left the palace and got run over...and then I become queen."

Alejandro loved the idea, his eyes almost glowing with excitement. "I knew there was a reason you stand out above everyone else, Heather!" he smiled. "That's why you will be the perfect queen."

Instantly, the dark-haired girl stepped away, tossing her head. "Please. You want me around because I have powers. And because I didn't fall for you in five seconds. Don't try all that sweet talk with me – it doesn't work."

"Believe what you want." Alejandro shrugged. "But if you hadn't stolen my heart before, it would be in your hands now."

While life at the palace went on, Duncan was still in the depths of the cave. Luckily, the carpet had freed itself and broken his fall earlier on, but he had ended up hitting his head on a ledge (though only hard enough to knock him out, not giving him a concussion), and he lay unconscious for a long time.

Eventually, he woke, groaning. "Ugh...I feel like hell." he muttered. The carpet moved beside him, appearing glad that he was awake. Duncan's memories came back and he muttered "That creep! I guess he got what he wanted."

The carpet moved over and picked up the lamp, bringing it over.

Duncan grinned for a moment. "Awesome! He didn't get it. I wonder why he wanted it, though – it looks like a piece of junk." He squinted. "Hey, there's something written on the lamp...but...I can't make it out." He tried to rub the dust off the brass object, but as he did, it began to glow. A young male voice babbled something he couldn't make out, and pink smoke floated out of the spout. For a moment, Duncan couldn't see anything, and then the smoke cleared to reveal...

A guy. He was taller than Duncan, but looked about the same age, wearing an open pink shirt, and a cowboy hat over his blonde head, with tight bracelets on both wrists. He was grinning widely. In fact, the only thing that gave away that he was not quite normal was his eyes. They were the colour of the sky and clearer than any eyes Duncan had ever seen before.

"Dude!" the guy exclaimed, as if he'd known Duncan for years. "It's been ten thousand years since someone got me out of there! It's great to meet you. So what's your name, bro?"

Duncan wasn't one to get shocked easily, but this energetic friendliness from this weird person who'd just come out of a lamp was something he was finding it hard to keep up with. "Um, I'm Duncan." he said in a dull monotone.

"Well, hey there!" the guy from the lamp said. "So...how'd you get my lamp? You gonna start wishing any time? I mean, we could just hang out for a while, but..."

"Okay, just stop." Duncan said firmly. "Back up. Wishes?"

The guy paused and said "You rubbed my lamp, right? Isn't that kind of what always happens? You have my lamp. I'm a genie. You get three wishes! But no wishing for any more wishes – I can only do so much." He laughed. "You didn't know that?"

Duncan was still trying to process everything. "You're a genie?"

The guy grinned and nodded. "But call me Geoff. That's my real name. Back in the day, everyone just called me Genie. I mean, there was this one dude in a vest...never asked my name. But then again, back then I had a weird skin colour and didn't look like a regular guy."

Duncan finally started to get the idea of what was going on. "So. That means you grant me any three wishes?"

"Well...kinda." Geoff said. "There's a few...limitations I should probably tell you. First, I can't kill anyone."

Any ideas that Duncan might have had about killing the creep that had tried to kill him...and possibly murdering Courtney too (nah, he didn't hate her enough for that) disappeared.

"Second, I can't play matchmaker. I can't make anyone fall in love."

Again, Duncan's thoughts, turning once again to Princess Gwen, flew out of his head.

"And last, I can't bring people back from the dead. Well, I _can,_ but those people are basically zombies, not real people. Other than that," Geoff grinned, "No limit!"

Duncan looked around for a moment, and then an idea formed in his mind. "Um, that's kind of pathetic, isn't it?" he said with a bit of a smirk. "I mean, you can't even kill? Well, thing is, I don't think I want any wishes. I mean, you probably can't get us out of the cave either. Thanks for the offer, but no thanks. I better just find a way out."

And Geoff reacted the exact way Duncan had expected. Before he could move, Geoff was already blocking his way, arms folded. "Um, _you_ rubbed my lamp, dude. No way am I letting you back out. You're getting the wishes whether you like it or not!" And then, at that moment, both Genie and street kid were on the carpet, and they were shooting out of the cave, across the sky, over the marketplace and above the palace.

 **Yes, Geoff is the Genie! I figured I needed someone as happy-go-lucky as the Genie usually is. Geoff fits that pretty well. I know he's been a major character in most of these so far, but then, so has Courtney and this time, she's only minor. I guess it's because Geoff is just so likable. And I have a thing for blue-eyed guys, too...I guess that plays a part. Even though my first TD crush was actually Alejandro. Whatever, until next time, guys!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Let's keep going. Oh, and guys, no comments on the modern stuff. Just a reminder that this story takes place in the twenty-first century. Thanks for reviewing, Silver Writer 0927, GwendolynD, Bloodylilcorpse, Gage the Hedgehog, xandra19 and the guest reviewer.**

The magic carpet didn't stop until it came to a cute little oasis, like a mini beach resort. It took about an hour, so Duncan and Geoff had truly become friends by the end. Duncan usually never had friends – he trusted no one. But a genie who was bound to grant him wishes...well, he could work with having a friend like that. Not to mention, Geoff was too nice not to be friends with. Duncan knew that even if he didn't accept the genie's friendship, Geoff would still act like his friend no matter what.

"So," Geoff finally said as they got off the carpet, "You still doubt my power?"

Duncan laughed. He'd never really doubted Geoff's power as much as he'd made out, but it still limited his wishes. He could still be rich, at least. That was something. "Okay, you got me. I underestimated you." he said out loud. "Now about my three wishes..."

"Um, dude?" Geoff's face took on a thoughtful frown. "Don't you mean two?"

Duncan chuckled. "I never actually wished to get out of the cave. I thought you'd react that way. I still have all three wishes."

Geoff paused, thought for a moment, and then gave a sigh. "Well played, dude, well played. But don't pull it again, okay?"

Duncan shrugged. "Sure. Before I start making wishes, though, I just wanna ask a question. Did you start out as a genie? Or did you become one?"

For the first time, Geoff's energy levels dropped completely. He gave a sigh. "I really don't want to talk about it. But...well...I was once in your position. Fair warning, I guess. Never wish to be an all-powerful genie. You won't exactly get to use your powers for your own self unless someone wishes you free."

Duncan was a man of little sympathy, but he liked Geoff, so he said it. "Well, I have no idea what I'm going to want after my first wish, so I might as well wait until I need to use my second wish, then I could free you."

Geoff's face lit up for a moment, then it dropped for a moment, as if he didn't believe it. But before Duncan could say anything, his energy levels went high again and the genie spoke. "Right! Okay, time for your first wish, then! What do you want?"

Duncan paused, thinking. "Well...there's something I've wanted for ages, but I've realized that I want more than that. You see, I met this girl. And yes, I know you can't pair up people, but there's only one way I could have a chance with her, and it combines my other dream. She's the princess, and she's had tons of suitors. The Sultan is ill, and she'll have to take over for him when he dies, which is really soon. So, I want you to make me a super-wealthy prince, then I can take a shot at winning her."

Geoff grinned. "A prince, huh? Super-wealthy? I think I can handle that. So, are you sure? You better make it official."

Duncan grinned back and said "All right, Geoff. I wish to become a super-wealthy prince!"

The next fifteen minutes were full of magic and surprises. First, Geoff created a new outfit for Duncan – a black tux with skulls embroidered on the pockets. He had a crown – only a small one. His mohawk was eliminated, although there was still a neon-green streak in his hair (he protested this, but it was for the best – he didn't want to be recognized). And on the whole, he looked right. He looked princely.

As a method of transportation, Geoff chose perfectly. Duncan had vague dreams of a giant raccoon robot, but that was too unrealistic. But the black limo that he got was amazing. It was fully stocked with candy, liquor, a DVD player and Xbox, as well as a function to remove the roof and a chaffeur who was not much older than Duncan, who introduced himself as DJ – a dark friendly guy who added that he'd personally made most of the snacks in the minibar (and they were good).

But even after that, Geoff still wasn't through with the transformation. He had so many creations to make – possessions, servants, and (most importantly to Duncan) riches. The limo's trunk was stuffed full of cases of all the things Duncan might want while he was at the palace, and one pocket of his was magically expanded (although it wasn't visible from the outside) so he could keep the lamp on him at all times. In his other pocket was a wallet, stuffed full of hundred-dollar bills and credit cards (Geoff gave him a PIN number and bank).

"You're gonna make a great entrance." Geoff said enthusiastically. "Your princess is going to love it!"

As Duncan prepared to get into the palace, Alejandro was "adjusting" the laws so that he might not even need to hypnotize Cody.

"Sire," he said as he swept into Cody's room in the palace, "I have found some new information which might help you with your sister."

Cody was, once again, online, and he logged out and turned to his advisor. "What is it?" he asked eagerly.

"It says here," Alejandro said, looking through the laws, "That if the Princess refuses to choose a husband, then she must have the Sultan choose for her, or that she must marry..." He paused and said "Why, I don't believe it! The Royal Vizier – me!"

Cody shifted uncomfortably. He knew Gwen felt uneasy around Alejandro. He wouldn't want to marry her off to someone she couldn't be relaxed around. But none of the suitors she'd had were suitable – although he thought about it.

"Maybe I could call Prince Trent back if the next suitor doesn't work for her." he mused.

Alejandro's eye twitched. He didn't want Trent to come back – he needed Cody to think he was the best option. So he put his eyes to work, and Cody was soon entranced. "You will order the Princess to wed me."

"I will order the Princess to..." Cody mumbled, but he snapped out of it for a moment. "But what about Heather?"

Alejandro increased his eye beam. "Princess Gwen is going to marry me!" he whispered forcefully.

"Princess Gwen is going to..." Cody began to say, but he was snapped out of it by a burst of music from outside, and he went out on a balcony to see the procession.

Alejandro saw it too, and it brought Heather out of their quarters, both of them looking out from a balcony.

"Make way for Prince Duncan!" a voice cried.

Gwen, who had been feeding her lizards, heard the cry, and came out onto her own balcony. She first saw the black limosine with the detatchable top leaving, and a young man with a crown came out. Gwen scowled when she saw the watching women screaming and calling to him, especially when he flirted back. Sure, he was very attractive, in a rebellious sort of way, but what a jerk!

Gwen went back inside. Chances are she'd have to meet him anyway, since he was definitely on the way to the palace. She sighed, wishing for the millionth time that she didn't have to marry so soon.

 **So do I, Gwen. I mean, I don't have to get married, but my responsibilities grow every day, pretty much. I know that's a cliché, but it's SO true. Hope you liked this chapter.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Now that our prince has introduced himself to the town, let's see him try to get to the princess. Thanks for reviewing, Gage the Hedgehog, Silver Writer 0927, Bloodylilcorpse, xandra19 and the guest reviewer (other guys...well, I may have had a little thing for Duncan, Geoff, and Trent at different times...obviously Duncan and Trent kind of lost their likability after TDI and I only like them in that season, but Geoff's RR performance redeemed him. And as I mentioned, I'm a sucker for blue eyes).**

The doors to the palace opened, and Duncan zoomed in on his carpet. He may have looked confident, but he didn't feel it on the inside.

Duncan didn't do respect for authority. He never had. Even when he was a kid, he'd mock authority figures and cause trouble as much as possible. But if he wanted any kind of shot with Gwen, he needed to be as polite and respectful as possible to Cody. He'd never seen what the Sultan looked like before, though, and he had to try hard to resist the urge to laugh at the smaller man, who reminded him of a puppy with his big blue eyes.

"Your Majesty," Duncan said in the most respectful tone he could muster, "I have journeyed from my kingdom in order to court your sister."

Cody smiled. "Prince Duncan, was it? Pleased to meet you!" He shook Duncan's hand, then gesturing to the other man in the room. "This is my royal vizier, Alejandro."

Up until then, the darker man had been trying hard to keep his emotions in check, but his charisma whirred into action immediately, as he shook Duncan's hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, sir." he said charmingly. "But I feel that it falls to me to tell you that different-"

But he was interrupted by Cody, who was checking out the magic carpet. "Well, this is amazing. What kind of electricity does this run on? Do you mind if I give it a spin?"

Usually, Duncan would have said "Whatever", but this time, he was as polite about it as possible, and Cody seemed to very much enjoy his ride on the carpet.

Alejandro, needless to say, hadn't recognized the prince as the emerald-haired boy he'd used before. His crown concealed the green stripe that was left of his mohawk, and he hadn't seen Duncan in enough light to recognize him, either. Besides, he'd cast the thought of him to the back of his mind.

"I'm sure Gwen will like this one!" Cody remarked excitedly.

"And from what I know of Princess Gwen, I'm sure I will like her, too." Duncan said, with more innuendo than he'd intended. Luckily, Cody didn't pick up on it.

"Your Highness, I think I must intervene on your sister's behalf." Alejandro protested. "This one isn't any different from the others. What makes him worthy of the princess?"

"Oh, you'll see." Duncan said. "Just let her meet me. I'm sure I will win her over."

"Excuse me!" The three men turned at the voice. Gwen was standing in the doorway, her dark eyes full of anger. "Cody," she said, "Next time could you please include me in the discussion of my future before doing anything?" And with that, she turned on her heel and strode away.

Gwen hadn't recognized Duncan, either. Besides that, she had, after all, been told he was dead. She would have been more polite, usually, but she was running out of patience, and lost it when she heard how confident and cocky Duncan had sounded about being able to 'win her over'.

Duncan spent most of the evening in the garden. He rubbed the lamp, deciding he needed advice. "Geoff," he said, "I need major help. Gwen doesn't even want to talk to me at the moment."

Geoff shrugged. "Are you sure you want my help? The most experience I had was before I was a genie. I was dating this cute girl, really sweet and caring. I can't even remember her name now. That's not a good sign."

Duncan shrugged back. "Your help is better than no help."

Geoff laughed. "I guess. Okay, what about this – open up to her. Maybe tell her the truth about you. Doing this much to get close to her..."

"No way!" Duncan glared at her. "I was a street kid. Gwen wouldn't understand me. She's a princess, remember?" Besides, as he reminded himself, Courtney hadn't understood, either. Gwen was of higher social standing, so there was no chance of her understanding.

"Look, I heard the way she was talking from in the lamp." Geoff said. "I think she sounds like she'd appreciate you being true with her. Just be yourself."

"That's the last thing I want to be!" Duncan protested. "She wouldn't want that."

Geoff sighed. "All right, you don't have to follow my advice. What do I know, anyway? Just go up there and try to speak to her."

And so that's exactly what Duncan did. He came up to Gwen's balcony on the carpet and called to her.

"Princess Gwen?"

The young princess came to the balcony. "What are you doing here?" she asked bluntly.  
Duncan grinned flirtatiously. "I don't know. I came up here to see you, actually. We could take this somewhere else, if you want. The throne room, your bedroom..."

Gwen raised her eyebrows at him. None of the princes she'd met already had flirted so blatantly with her. She wasn't sure if she liked it. "Kind of forward, aren't you?"

"What can I say?" Duncan shrugged. "Talking to a hot girl brings out the suitor in me."

"More like the man-slut in you." Gwen muttered. Duncan chuckled, which made Gwen look up again. She knew that chuckle. "Wait a minute! You seem familiar. Do you think we've met?"

Duncan reacted quickly. "Um...no!" he said.

Gwen was still staring at him. "You remind me of a boy I met in the nearby marketplace."

"As if I've ever been there!" Duncan laughed. "I'm from too far away to go to that one, and even if I did nearby, my servants are the only ones who go to the marketplace. Or not even them – their own servants go for them."

Gwen frowned. "Well, you act like him."

Duncan met her eyes, and then said softly "Would the boy from the marketplace tell you how much of a turn-on it is when you disagree with me?"

Again, Gwen wasn't sure if she liked this kind of comment or not. "Cody probably would strike you off the list of potential suitors if he heard you talking this way." she warned. "He's pretty protective of me."

"Screw what he thinks." Duncan said without thinking. "Does he ever let you out of this place?"

Gwen gave a sigh. "Not really."

And that gave Duncan a great idea. His carpet came up and he stepped on it. Then he held out a hand to Gwen. "Wanna come for a ride? We could go anywhere. This carpet could take us all over the world in one night."

Gwen looked at the carpet, then back to Duncan. But the chance for adventure was too tempting to pass up. She took his hand, and the two were off, over the palace walls and into the night.

Soaring through the stars with a prince beside her was the most romantic thing Gwen had ever experienced. As they passed various countries, Gwen stared at the views, dazed, while Duncan talked to her, and again, started to open up to her. Not enough to tell her the truth, but enough to act like himself. Before long, they were laughing and joking, teasing each other endlessly.

As they flew into London, the carpet took them to an empty rooftop garden, and Duncan subtly put his arm around Gwen, who was starting to shiver from the cold English air. Gwen subconsiously leant into his hold.

Duncan smiled to himself. This plan was going so perfectly. One more day and Gwen would be completely in love with him. She was still the only girl he'd ever met who understood him. As long as things kept going this way, his life would be perfect.

 **I'm sure you can guess why I chose London rather than China. Referencing, guys. Okay, if anyone hasn't, it's because their first kiss happened at the end of "I See London...".**


	10. Chapter 10

**Come on, Duncan, man up and tell Gwen who you really are! Also, virtual self-saucing chocolate pudding for anyone who catches the hidden reference to another Disney movie that I put in. It's probably not that hard to find, though, so...enjoy the pudding! Thanks to the guest reviewer, but I have no plans for Emperor's New Groove. It's a great film, but I don't think I'll do that. Other thanks to: Gage the Hedgehog, Bloodylilcorpse, Silver Writer 0927, and xandra19.**

"Thanks for taking me here." Gwen whispered as the couple lay on the rooftop garden, staring up at the stars. They weren't doing anything, just talking, but watching the stars go by was enough.

After a moment, Gwen looked at Duncan again, more closely, and added "You know, it would be nice if we had that candy I gave away."

"I'll bet you're sweeter than the candy, but I can't believe the woman handling that was so easily fooled." Duncan said without thinking. Suddenly, he sat up, realizing what he said. "...oops."

"I knew you were that boy from the market!" Gwen said, scowling at him and sitting up too. "Why did you lie to me like that?"

"Gwen...I'm sorry."

"Did you think I'd think less of you if I figured it out?" Gwen added. "And come to that, who are you, anyway? Are you even a prince?"

"I am!" Duncan said automatically. "But palace life isn't easy. Sometimes I pretend to be a normal person."

Gwen's face softened. "Why didn't you tell me? It's not like we haven't met before."

Duncan shrugged. "I...I guess you'd think it was weird. Me, wanting to escape my palace."

"Nah, I get it." Gwen said, starting to smile. "So how come Captain Courtney knew who you were?"

"We dated while I was pretending to be a commoner." Duncan admitted. "But she didn't know I was a prince. I had to break it off with her, and she's wanted me dead ever since."

"And I thought you _were_ dead!" Gwen added. "I talked to Alejandro about letting you go, and he said that you'd been executed."

Duncan shrugged. "Your brother's royal vizier? I don't know anything about that. Maybe he just made a mistake or something."

They went back to the palace, of course, but by that time, Gwen had decided. Duncan was definitely the best of any of her suitors. Maybe he didn't exactly act like a prince, but she didn't care. He clicked with her the best.

"Goodnight." she smiled as he dropped her off on her balcony.

"'Night." he said. And on impulse, he suddenly leaned forward, and the two were kissing.

Gwen was taken by surprise, but she kissed back, putting gentle passion into it. As they broke apart, they smiled at each other, and Gwen went back inside.

Duncan waited until she was out of earshot to fall onto the carpet as it floated back down to the garden. "YESSSS!" He had done it! Everything he'd ever wished for had come true. Well, okay, his one wish had basically granted all his other wishes by default.

"I'm rich, the hottest and simultaneously coolest girl I've ever met wants me, and I'm a prince! For the first time in forever, something is going right."

And then everything went wrong.

Before Duncan could even react to anything, strong hands took hold of him, gagged him, tied him up, and a dark shadow fell over him.

"I'm afraid you wore out your welcome the minute you stepped into this palace." He looked up, recognizing the voice. It was the girl who'd tried to kill him that night in the cave, although she looked different – tall and slim, with waist-length dark hair. And behind her was...that was Alejandro. Shock shot through Duncan as he began to realize what the Royal Vizier had done.

The girl made one last order. "Make sure he's never found. Try the thousand-foot high cliff with the shark-infested waters."

The guards holding Duncan obeyed, except for one, who was standing back, smiling. "Can you take my place, Ryan?" she said, fluttering her eyelashes at the guard with the most muscle. "I'd rather just watch this."

Ryan smiled at her. "Sure thing, Court'."

But then again, no one enjoyed watching the man plummeting to his death more than Courtney. She didn't know it was the man who'd broken her heart, but all she knew is that he looked extraordinarily like him. It gave her a lot of sadistic pleasure to have him killed.

It was only when Duncan hit the water that he remembered the lamp. He managed to get one hand free and into his biggest pocket, when he saw a shark coming at him. He rubbed the lamp and Geoff jumped out instantly.

"What's happening?" He saw the shark and said "Duncan? Can you wish? Look, dude, remember, you can't cheat again. Wish for me to save you!" He shook the half-unconscious man, and then said "I'm gonna take that as a yes." And in seconds, Duncan was back on land, and alive.

"Thanks, Geoff." he managed to say, once he'd recovered.

"No problem, man." Geoff said with a grin. "We're friends, right? I wasn't going to let you die without freeing me, anyway."

There was only one thing to do – go back to the castle and alert Cody about what his closest advisor had done.

But Alejandro had gotten to Cody first. His hypnosis hadn't worked the first time he tried to convince Cody to let him marry Gwen, but this time, it worked. As Duncan was on his way back to the palace, Cody was informing Gwen of the new decision, horrifying her.

"But Cody, I already chose Prince Duncan! Why can't I marry him?"

"He left last night." Alejandro told her.

"You might wanna check your facts and your crystal soccer ball." Duncan leant against the balcony doors, scowling at the taller darker man. "Tell the truth, _Al._ You and that girl with the dark hair tried to have me murdered."

Gwen believed him instantly. She spun around to face Alejandro. "You and Heather tried to have him _killed?_ Not to mention you lied to me about him being executed! Why?"

"This must all be a misunderstanding!" Alejandro said, again focusing his eyes on Cody. "They are both lying."

"Both...lying..." Cody mumbled in response.

Gwen shook Cody. "Cody! What's wrong with you?"

Duncan had noticed Cody's glassy stare and dead tone. "I think I know!" He strode up to Cody and clapped his hands in Cody's face, making him come back instantly.

"Your Highness, I think you may have had less control than you believe. You were hypnotized by Alejandro." Duncan told him.

"Yes, you just told me I had to get married to him!" Gwen chimed in. "Do you remember doing that?"

"No..." muttered Cody, still a little dazed. But when he took in the words of his sister and the prince, he believed it.

But Alejandro had noticed something – something in Duncan's pocket. A brass spout was sticking out of it. But as Cody called for the guards, he pulled out a little potion that Heather had given him for emergencies, finally showing his true colours as he made his getaway. "I'm not done with you yet!" he cried, pulling out the stopper and throwing it at them. It turned into a gas, which evaporated quickly, but revealed no sign of him.

"I can't believe it!" Cody stressed. "I trusted him, and he was plotting against me all this time. How could I not have..." But he stopped, seeing the two in the middle of the room.

"Gwen?" he looked at her hopefully. "Is it true? You've chosen a suitor?"

Gwen smiled at him, nodding. "I didn't think I'd be able to." she said. "But I feel as if I already love him."

Things seemed perfect, except for one thing. Cody mentioned something Duncan had forgotten – that he would be Sultan next, with Gwen as his queen.

He didn't want to have that responsibility. He just wanted to be rich and be with Gwen. But he couldn't just have fun if he was Sultan.

 **We're getting near Duncan's low point, as you can tell.**


	11. Chapter 11

**We're around the darkest part of the movie, just coming up. Let's go! Also, I kept a variation of one of my favourite lines from the movie. Just so you know, the original line was "Tonight, the part of Al will be played by a tall, dark and sinister ugly man..." Well, tonight the part of Duncan will be played by...well, Geoff will explain.**

 **Thanks for reviewing, Silver Writer 0927, Bloodylilcorpse, Gage the Hedgehog, xandra19 and the guest reviewer. And...well...no one caught the reference. The reference was actually Duncan quoting "For the first time in forever..." from _Frozen._**

Alejandro had, of course, reached his and Heather's chambers. "I found out what's up with that so-called prince." he told Heather. "He has the lamp! I thought he looked familiar!"

"He got the lamp?" Heather scowled. "So how do we get it off him without getting caught?"

"Can you still turn yourself into an animal?" Alejandro smirked. "And do voices?"

"What are you planning?" Heather said suspiciously.

"You lure him out to the menagerie by pretending to be Gwen, then sneak the lamp out of his pocket and bring it to me."

Heather smiled, this time, and tested out her Gwen voice. " _This is the Loser Gwen show, where everything sucks and being a princess is terrible_." She laughed. "Perfect!"

Things actually became easier, because Duncan didn't have the lamp in his pocket that afternoon when Heather lured him out, so she could just take it from where he'd left it.

The reason for that was because of the conversation Duncan had just had with Geoff that afternoon. "So, you've won the princess! What's next, dude?"

Duncan just glared at the genie and looked away.

"Third wish, remember?" Geoff said. "You can make it at any time."

"Look, not right now!" Duncan said impatiently. "I'm sorry, but I need you to be here right now. They want to make me Sultan? No way. And without you, I'm just a street kid. The only reason anyone likes me is because of you, and I can't keep this up on my own. So I can't free you. Not yet, anyway."

Geoff's face fell. Completely. "Oh, okay. I guess you've lied to everyone else. Hey, it was only a matter of time. I can't deal with this conversation right now, I'm sure you understand..." And with that, Geoff was back in his lamp.

"Look, I can do it later, when I'm dealing with things!" Duncan yelled into the lamp. "Sulk if you want to, though! I don't need you to be friends with me, anyway!"

That's when he heard 'Gwen' calling. "Duncan? Duncan, can I talk to you?"

"Where are you?" Duncan called.

"I'm in the menagerie!"

And the minute Duncan left, Heather, disguised as a flamingo, noticed instantly that there was most definitely nothing in Duncan's pockets. She turned herself back to normal, hurried to the room he'd been lolling around in and found the lamp tucked underneath a pillow. "Oh, this is going to be so much fun!" she said out loud.

But she didn't bring the lamp back to Alejandro. Not yet. No, she rubbed the lamp herself, and Geoff came out, saying "You know, Duncan, I thought..." Then he saw Heather. "I don't think you're him." He paused, and then muttered jokingly "Tonight, the part of Duncan will be played by a hot chick with a heart of ice..."

"I'm your master now!" Heather snapped at him. "Now grant me my first wish. I wish to be queen, and I'm sure you can find my business partner Alejandro and make him my Sultan! But I only want that to happen in three hours!"

Heather knew that Cody was going to introduce Duncan to the whole kingdom that night, within roughly three hours. If she and Alejandro could seize power at that moment, it would be that much more effective. They would do it in front of everyone.

Duncan was still in a funk, wandering around the menagerie before confirming that Gwen was not really there. He sank down next to the raccoon petting zoo and thought things over.

"Geoff was right." he finally said out loud. "I need to tell Gwen the truth. Then I'll be free, and I can wish him free too. After all, I'm still a prince, and I'm still rich, right? Nothing can change that now."

The next time he heard Gwen's voice, she really was calling him, this time for Cody to introduce the kingdom to him. He didn't have time to tell Gwen the truth, forced to stand in front of a whole kingdom full of people and wave.

Alejandro and Heather were waiting in the wings, Heather with the lamp in her hands. The three hours were almost up.

At that moment, the sun finished setting, and that was when it happened. Cody's clothes began stripping him of their own accord, until he was only in his boxers. Alejandro finally revealed himself, wearing an approximation of Cody's royal attire. Heather stood beside him, wearing queenly clothes, the lamp hidden in her robes.

"Alejandro, you traitor!" Cody cried, his voice angry but fearful.

"That's _wise Sultan_ Alejandro to you!" Heather teased. "Loser!"

"How could this..." Duncan began, then paused, thinking. He'd left the lamp unnattended. Anyone could just take it. And those two were definitely involved in the whole Cave of Wawanakwa Wonders thing.

As if he'd read Duncan's thoughts, Alejandro spoke up. "Finders keepers, street boy."

That was it. It looked like there was nothing left to do. But Heather was ready to make one more wish in order to make the former Sultan and his sister humiliated and even more fearful. "My second wish! I wish to be queen _and_ an all-powerful sorceress!"

And Geoff truly didn't want to give the raven-haired queen what she desired, but he had to do it. The girl had every power a mortal could have at her fingertips.

"Now, where were we?" she smirked at Alejandro.

"Abject humiliation, was it?" he replied.

"Ah, yes." One flick and Gwen and Cody were forced to bow to them. "Oh, don't worry, this is just the start of what we're going to do to you." the queen added. "Princess Gwen, there's someone we want you to meet again." She turned towards the last person on the balcony.

"Heather, turn him back." Alejandro said.

"With pleasure!" One point at him and everything Duncan once had disappeared. His limo, his good clothes, his riches...all gone. His mohawk came back. Heather had destroyed everything that had come of his first wish. "He's no prince, stupid! He's just a street kid who got lucky. But that luck ran out quick."

"Now, what should we do with him, Heather?" Alejandro said.

"Well, I think I'll paralyze him while we decide." Heather said, another flick of her wrist imprisoning Duncan and freezing him in place. "Don't want him running away before we can do anything. Now, what do you think would be a good punishment for lying?"

"Shall we exile him?"

"Yes, we should exile him somewhere cold."

"Somewhere he can't return from."

"Somewhere so he'll never see his darling princess again."

They hadn't counted on the carpet following Duncan, of course. When they sent him to the depths of Siberia, at the deepest part of the Kola Borehole, they were sure that he could never return.

 **We know Duncan will come back. Sometime at least. But for now, things won't be easy for Gwen and Cody. Let's join them again soon.**


	12. Chapter 12

**These are dark times, that's all I can say. Thanks for reviewing, Silver Writer 0927, xandra19, Gage the Hedgehog, Bloodylilcorpse, and the guest reviewer.**

It was two days before Duncan had any chance to return. It was enough time for the villainous couple to change things a lot.

Cody had it the worst. He was chained to a hard operation table. Whenever Heather got bored, she tortured him by playing 'magic doctor' and turning him into a jigsaw, then turning him back to his original state. Cody almost wished his illness would just hurry up and kill him, so she couldn't do it any more.

Alejandro wasn't as sadistic as Heather, and amused himself mainly by seeing how far Gwen could be pushed. She had been turned into the couple's personal slave, forced to dress in yellow and scarlet and wear pink lipstick and blusher – torture for the pale girl, whose favourite colour was midnight blue. She was stuck at the beck and call of both of them, and had her hands chained together, with one ankle shackled to the wall on a long chain – she could move around the room, but not leave it. She mostly endured her torture in silence and dignity, but she only spoke up whenever Heather decided to torture Cody.

"Leave him alone!" she'd yell. "Haven't you done enough?"

"Enough of what, weird goth girl?" Heather would reply mockingly.

"You know what! Torturing Cody!"

"Keep torturing him? I'd love to!"

It was a dark two days. But Duncan's carpet hadn't failed him yet, and it wasn't going to stop until it got back to Wawanakwa, and back into the palace.

Geoff was the only one to see him when he sneaked back in. He'd long forgiven the street kid, and he zipped over to him. "Duncan, bud, you know I'm not allowed to help you. What are you gonna do?"

"Can you point me in the direction of the lamp?" Duncan asked. "Then I'll go from there. I can improvise."

Geoff pointed. Since Gwen's chains didn't reach far enough and Cody was completely restrained, Heather had left the lamp in a corner of the room, free for whenever she wanted to use it. She mostly kept Geoff out of the lamp, unless it was nighttime. If she wanted to use her last wish, she'd pass it on to Alejandro so they'd have six wishes altogether.

Duncan was stealthy, but Gwen spotted him. She was in the middle of once again, pleading with Heather to leave Cody alone, when she saw him. Luckily, Alejandro was busy talking to Heather about what they should do with the population, now they had the royal family dealt with, and the princess met Duncan's eyes unnoticed.

" _I'll distract them if they come close to seeing you."_ she mouthed.

Duncan managed to get only a metre away from the lamp before she had to try anything. All Alejandro had to do was turn around, and he instantly saw the street kid sneaking towards the lamp.

The sorceress turned and instantly slammed Duncan against a wall with her magic. "How many times do we have to kill you?!" she shrieked furiously.

Gwen ran to help him, but Heather stopped her again. "I think your time is up!" Gwen was suddenly trapped in a sand timer. When all the sand had poured onto her, she would eventually suffocate.

The carpet was turned into a ball of wool, and Duncan was on his own, against a powerful sorceress and a hypnotist.

Heather let Alejandro fight for himself, but she kept embellishing everything with her magic.

"Are you afraid to fight straight, you snakes?" Duncan cried furiously.

"Snake, hmmm?" Alejandro said innocently, nodding at Heather to use her magic. "Maybe you're right. But I think I'm a little more ssssssnake-like than you imagine!" He was suddenly a giant python. He was planning to crush the life out of Duncan before anything more could happen.

"You're a fool." he told the street boy. "To think you could take on the most powerful sorceress in the world and my own self. That's why your death will be no real loss. Why, you couldn't even save your princess from suffocating!"

Heather stood back, watching this all. Her heart beat faster than usual, and her emotions stirred, something that hardly ever happened. While she was always smitten with Alejandro, she'd never felt this way about him. But seeing him crushing the thorn in their side made her just want to turn him back and declare that she would love him forever.

But she didn't do it. She just kept watching as Duncan struggled to breathe in the snake's hold and Gwen desperately tried to keep her head above the sand.

Duncan looked around, trying to find an answer to Alejandro's words. His eyes fell on Geoff, and he finally thought of something.

"She's not the most powerful thing in the world!" he shouted. "She's only powerful because Geoff gave her those powers, and he can take them away!"

Geoff stared as Duncan kept yelling, wondering why he was being brought into this.

"Face it, you two! You'e just second best compared to his powers!"

Heather was listening to this. "It's all true! His power exceeds ours. Shall I do it?" she called to Alejandro.

"Yes!"

Heather faced Geoff. "That's my last wish. I wish Alejandro and I to be all-powerful genies!"

Geoff gave a sigh, knowing how dangerous this would make the couple, but he was bound to do it, so it happened.

There was almost no change in the appearances of Heather or Alejandro. The snake disappeared and Alejandro went back to normal, but there was nothing much else different to them. The only difference was their powers. Duncan ran to smash the hourglass and free Gwen, only turning back to notice that his plan had worked.

""We are going to take over the world!" Heather exclaimed. "This is way better than just being queen!"

"And we'll do it all together." Alejandro added. When he put his arms around Heather, she didn't pull away like she usually did. No, she kissed him herself.

"Not so fast, you two!" Duncan cried. "You've forgotten one little step!"

This made them look up. "Huh?"

"You two are genies now, and you've got jobs."

And that's when bracelets appeared on both of their wrists, like shackles. Like the ones Geoff wore.

"And these are your new homes!" Duncan added, holding up the two lamps that had magically appeared.

As the sorceress and former Vizier disappeared into their lamps, they both screamed.

And the palace went back to normal. Duncan just stood there, grinning like the cover of _Mad_ magazine.

 **I feel as if I rushed the last couple of chapters a bit. I might go back and rewrite them, though. I just want to finish the story first.**


	13. Chapter 13

**I think this will be the last chapter. Thanks for reviewing, Silver Writer 0927, Gage the Hedgehog, Bloodylilcorpse, xandra19, A. A Sliver-Knife (well, that is kind of supposed to happen...most of my deviations from the movies are nods to canon), and the guest reviewer.**

As everything went back to normal, Duncan finally began to realize what 'back to normal' meant.

He met Gwen's eyes, and then he said "I'm sorry I lied to you about being a prince. I was going to tell you the truth before that evening, but I didn't have the chance. I just wanted to have a chance with you, and I thought you wouldn't be interested if..."

"If you were no one?" Gwen said, her voice suddenly fierce. "I _was_ interested! You were the first person I'd met who truly understood me."

Cody, who was free and back in his Sultan attire, came up beside her and said in a mock offended voice "And I never did?"

Gwen laughed at him. "The first person who _didn't_ know me all my life."

"Well," Duncan shrugged, trying to make like he didn't care, "I guess this means goodbye."

Gwen scowled. "It isn't fair! That stupid royal marriage law. You're the only guy I've met who I'd want to be with for even a month."

"You've still got one more wish left." Geoff offered. "If you want, just say the word and I can bring back everything to turn you back into a prince."

Duncan thought about it for the moment. It brought back all his old fears about responsibility. "No." He turned to the princess. "Gwen, I want to be with you, but I can't keep up this whole thing of being a prince. I mean, you know I'm not royal, your brother knows I'm not royal. Wishing to be royal just makes the lie more believable. And I don't want the responsibility of being Sultan. I just want to live." He turned back to Geoff. "Geoff, I wish for your freedom."

Geoff didn't hear him for a moment. "One prince coming up...wait, _what_?"

But Duncan didn't have to reply. Geoff's bracelets fell to the ground. His lamp clattered to the floor, now useless. And Geoff grinned.

"Hey, bro, can you wish for something?" Geoff said. "Just really quick? Just say something like, I dunno, say 'I wish for an Xbox'. Go on!"

Duncan looked confused. "I wish for an Xbox?"

"Wish away, I don't have to give it to you!" Geoff exclaimed. "I am totally going to do what I want to from now on! I still have powers, and I can still have fun!" He paused, glancing down at the two lamps. From inside them, they could hear the argument going on between the two genies.

"This is all your fault!"

"Oh, and who was the one who told me to make the wish?"

"Couldn't you have remembered what would happen?"

"Stop putting this on me! I can't remember the last time we argued like this!"

"Maybe that's because I don't want you to be my girlfriend any longer!"

"Fine, I never wanted to be your girlfriend anyway!"

Duncan gave a sigh. "What can we do about these two pieces of junk?" he said, picking up the two lamps.

"We are NOT junk!" Heather screamed from inside her lamp.

"Let us out, please!" Alejandro said, his voice more level and pleading.

"No chance." Geoff grinned, taking them himself. "They're going back to the Cave of Wawanakwa Wonders...forever, probably." He flicked the lamps away, and as Duncan's expression became depressed again, realizing what he'd have to do, the last member of the royal family watched him.

Cody paused in thought. He wanted his sister to be happy. And although he didn't altogether approve of this street kid lying to him, he understood why, and it was obvious that he made Gwen happy.

He strode up to the couple. "You know, I've been thinking." he said. "Gwen, do you remember I said you would need to marry to carry on the family line?"

"Yes." Gwen nodded.

"Well, I can change the law that only allows you to marry a prince, if that's what you want." Cody smiled. "And the law that only allows men to rule." He smiled at his sister. "I'm sure you'll do a great job in my absence, Queen Gwen."

Gwen pulled Cody into a big hug, happier than she'd ever been in her whole life. She wasn't the hugging type, but if anything warranted a hug, that did.

She'd barely set Cody down when Duncan sneaked up to her and began spinning her around, before setting her down and kissing her.

"Hey, don't scare me like that!" Gwen said playfully, mock-slapping him.

"Or what? You'll lock me up in the dungeon and throw away the key?" Duncan teased, adding "Oh, by the way, better let Courtney know she's not allowed to do that." The Captain of the Guard would not be happy about it, but it couldn't be helped.

"Group hug!" Geoff cried, pulling everyone into a huge circle before leaving. "I'll see you guys later, but for now, I'm going to go reaquaint myself with the world. Stay out of trouble, everyone!"

Duncan and Gwen didn't get married straightaway, of course. Duncan took up permanent residence in the palace and became closer and closer. In fact, they didn't marry until long after Gwen took the throne. Cody only lived for another three weeks and four days after the ordeal, and Gwen had to start ruling straightaway. She and Duncan only married after she'd started to move on.

After a year, Geoff did return to the island, with a blonde girlfriend in tow. He didn't live in the palace, but the couple made sure he visited, and Gwen became very good friends with Geoff's girlfriend.

Courtney started to get over how Duncan had hurt her in the past. Although they never became friends, she learned to tolerate him, and he didn't talk to her unless he had to.

As for the two genies trapped in their lamps? No one has seen any sign of them since Geoff tossed them into the desert. Most likely they're still trapped in the Cave of Wawanakwa Wonders, and no one is sorry.

I guess it's the end of the story. And I'll end it with a conversation Duncan and Gwen had on their wedding night.

"It's gonna be a whole new world for me." Duncan whispered.

Gwen smiled at him and curled up beside him. "It's a whole new life for me, too." she reminded him. "A good life."

"For you and me." they said.

 **The...**

"CODY'S FRIEND HIGHIQSNEVERLOVE FELL IN LOVE WITH A LAW STUDENT!"

Okay, what just happened?

Geoff sheepishly grinned at the readers. "Made ya look."

 **The End**

 **Sorry, guys, just had to make that joke. Well, that's the third one done! I don't know what will be up next, but I have a couple in the works. Hope you liked this one!**


End file.
